We are nearing the end of our time in Germany, so we are planning on traveling as much as possible over the next few weeks. Before starting what will be an whirlwind several weeks, which starts with a trip to Dublin next week, we decided to take a quick weekend trip to Paris. We haven’t finalized all of our travel plans yet, but the one absolute place on our agenda is to make our way to Rome, at least for a few days. One of the things that we truly have loved about living in Europe is that we can jump on a train or a plane and visit someplace wonderful within a few hours. It has been almost exactly ten years since our last visit to Paris, so this will be a very special weekend for many reasons. This weekend is about relaxation, romance, and revisiting some of our favorite sights within this wonderful city. Here are a few photos of our last visit to Paris since we haven’t had a chance to do anything new yet.
We’re not sure when places of worship went from being the most beautiful buildings in a town or city to being mega-churches that look more like warehouses than churches, but that has become the case in a lot of cities and towns here in the US. Obviously you don’t need to be surrounded by ornate artwork, stained glass windows, or marble columns to express your faith, but it used to be an expression of the citizens to make sure that the church was more beautiful than any of the homes in town. Notre-Dame de Paris is one of the most well-known churches in the world and its French gothic style is absolutely stunning. It is definitely a shining example of how glorious a church can be when the citizens come together to create something that stands the tests of time and is as wonderful today as when it was first built.
Detailed ArchitectureArtwork Inside of the CathedralAmazing Details
The intricate sculptures and gargoyles have made Notre-Dame the centerpiece of stories since it was built in the 14th century. As gorgeous as it is to visit during the day, it is even more stunning at night when it is lit up to reveal all of the details of its architecture. Taking one of the river tours that takes you around the cathedral is another great way to see Notre-Dame from another angle. We wish that we would have had more than a couple of days to see Notre-Dame since there is truly so much to see.
Relief on the WallMemorial in ChurchNotre-Dame de Paris
Although there is definitely a lot to see when visiting Paris, we highly recommend that you take the time to really enjoy the Notre-Dame Cathedral. It is worth more than just stopping by for a couple of quick photos of its ornate façade, there is so much more to see. It is one of those iconic locations that everyone knows about, but if you take your time when visiting it, you will enjoy all of the little details that make up the entire experience.
Looking Up at the SculpturesObserving a Service – We Did Not Use a Flash
For those who’ve read posts from in the past, it is probably clear that we tend to stay focused on talking about our travel experiences, food, and sharing some of our photography, not on current events or politics. With that said, we felt compelled to say at least something about the horrific and brutal attack in Nice, France, and our thoughts about travel in these uncertain times. First of all, our thoughts and prayers go out to all of the people and families affected by this senseless violence as well as the other recent tragedies. We’re not going to talk about the political and social causes that drive people to do such unimaginable acts because we don’t consider ourselves experts on those subjects, although we do have some pretty strong opinions on the subject.
Eiffel Tower at SunsetParis NeighborhoodNotre Dame
What we’d like to talk about is staying strong in the face of such uneasiness and uncertainty. Terror is about trying to cause paralysis and inaction due to fear. If we stop travelling, stop going to events with large crowds, visiting places considered to be “soft targets”, we give in to terror. Unfortunately in this day and age, terror can happen anyplace. France has certainly seen more than its fair share of violence perpetrated by terrorists. Would we travel to France right now? Absolutely and we hope to very soon. There are things that are beyond our control, but what we can control is our desire to not let evil deeds such as last night’s attack keep us from continuing to live our lives as fully and optimistically as we always have.
Eiffel TowerPalace at VersaillesArc du Carroussel
Eventually, the good in people will win out in the end, but clearly there are going to be many more dark days ahead. In light of that, we will do our best to move forward resolutely determined not to let violence deter us. Will we be more aware of our surroundings, watchful of potential threats? Of course, but that is just common sense. So, today we reflect on the events in France with a strong commitment to not let them change the way that we live our lives. We believe that most people have very similar feelings and in that way we let our actions tell the terrorists that no amount of violence will change the world into the world that they are trying to create. In fact, the complete opposite is occurring and they are uniting the world against them instead of causing us to run in fear of them.
